Motorola's own version of the modular smartphone, or at least a respectable semblance of it, is made possible by the Moto Mods, a series of accessories that can latch onto the back of compatible Motorola smartphones that add extra functionality.
These devices have so far been unexplored despite Motorola's marketing push, struggling to bleed beyond being a "concept" accessory instead of a legitimate, mainstream innovation for smartphones out in the market today. But with the help of a new developer competition on the horizon, coupled with Motorola's Moto Mods Development Kit, or MDK, all bets are now off in terms of what's possible, now that everyone's ideas are involved.
"We are invested in the future of the Moto Mods ecosystem and we want to empower developers to dream, build and fund their own Moto Mods," writes Motorola in a blog post.
Right now, there are Moto Mods that turn your Motorola smartphone into a beefed up Hasselblad camera, a short-throw video projector, a JBL Soundboost Speaker, or a smartphone with an extra battery pack. Motorola wants that list to grow, and they're enlisting the help of anyone who's interested and capable of developing their own Moto Mods accessory.
Motorola Teams Up With Indiegogo
The Moto Mods campaign will be a joint collaboration between Motorola and Indiegogo. Users can enter the developer contest until the end of January next year.
"No matter if you're a one-person startup or an experienced development firm, we want to hear your ideas for redefining what a smartphone can do," reads the Indiegogo campaign page.
Anyone interested may submit their ideas for a Moto Mods accessory. Finalists will be selected by a panel of industry leaders. Winners will receive a trip to Chicago to meet with the executive development team behind the Moto Mods to further discuss their winning concepts.
How To Join The Moto Mods Contest
There are two entry points to the developer contest. The first is the simpler one of the two. Go to the campaign's submission page, fill up the form and elucidate your idea or plan for your accessory. Motorola will review your qualification status and if successful, they'll hand out a free MDK and a free Moto Z phone so you can begin constructing your prototype.
The other way is geared for the more experienced developers out there. In December, Motorola's holding a Moto Mods Hackathon in New York and in San Francisco in January. Buy tickets for the program and you can build your prototype directly inside the event with professional in-person help.
The grand prize winners will automatically be invited to pitch their ideas at the Motorola HQ by March next year.
Once you have managed to build a prototype of your Moto Mods accessory, you can now launch an Indiegogo campaign to fund further development. Ten finalists will be picked by the panel to pitch their ideas, with an engineering roundtable prepared to fine-tune the winners' prototypes.
The winners will then go on to meet with Verizon Ventures and Lenovo Capital, with the chance to have their custom Moto Mods accessory distributed by Verizon nationwide. Motorola will also promote and distribute winning Moto Mods online.
Do you have a compelling and innovative idea for the next Moto Mod? Feel free to take a shot at it!
